U.S. Soccer Wire: November 17, 2008

NewsNov 17, 2008

BRADLEY NAMES ROSTER FOR FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIER AGAINST GUATEMALA; U.S. U-17 WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM TAKE SECOND AT INAUGURAL FIFA U-17 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP WITH 2-1 LOSS TO KOREA DPR; U.S. U-20 WNT PREPARES TO KICK OFF FIFA U-20 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP NOV. 19 AGAINST FRANCE IN CHILE LIVE ON ESPN2

U.S. MNT ROSTER SET FOR NOV. 19 MATCH AGAINST GUATEMALA: U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named a roster of 20 players to train in advance of the FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Guatemala on Nov. 19 in Commerce City, Colo. Kickoff at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park for the USA’s first-ever World Cup qualifier in the state of Colorado is set for 6 p.m. MT (tickets), and the match will be shown live on ESPN Classic and Galavision. Fans can also follow the match live on ussoccer.com's MatchTracker. The U.S. has locked up first place in Group 1 of the Semifinal Round of FIFA World Cup qualifying, holding 12 points from five matches. The other participant from the group to advance will be determined on the final matchday, as Trinidad & Tobago holds a three point lead over Guatemala. The Guatemalans will be pressing for a victory against the U.S. at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, needing a win to keep their dreams of advancement alive. Trinidad & Tobago will be hosting Cuba on the same day. The draw to determine the placement of teams in the CONCACAF Final Round hexagonal for 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying will take place on Nov. 22 at 1 p.m. local time (6 a.m. ET) in Johannesburg. Teams will learn their opponents as well as home and away dates for all 10 Final Round qualifiers that will determine the three automatic berths for CONCACAF at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The United States, Costa Rica and El Salvador have already advanced to the Final Round, with the remaining three teams to be determined on Nov. 19, on the final matchday of the semifinal phase.

U.S. U-17 WNT FALL TO KOREA DPR, FINISH SECOND AT FIFA U-17 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP: The U.S. Under-17 Women’s National Team fell in the championship game of the 2008 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, losing to Korea DPR in overtime by a 2-1 score in front of a crowd of 16,162 at North Harbour Stadium. The U.S. picked up several individual tournament awards with DiMartino winning the Silver Boot as the tournament’s second leading scorer with five total goals, behind only Germany’s Dzsenifer Marozsan who had six. DiMartino also became the first player in U.S. soccer history to score in five consecutive games in a World Cup. Kristie Mewis won the Bronze Ball as the tournament’s third best player behind Marozsan and Japan’s Mana Iwabuchi. Taylor Vancil, who played every minute for the USA in nets, was awarded Golden Glove Award as the best goalkeeper in the tournament. Courtney Verloo, who tied Jon Myong Hwa for third in scoring in the tournament with four goals and one assist each, just missed out on the Bronze Boot as she played two more minutes than Jon over the course of the tournament which was the tie-breaker for the award.

2008 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Schedule

Date

Opponent

Venue; City

Result / Time

U.S. Goal Scorer(s)

Oct. 30

Japan

Waikato Stadium; Hamilton

2-3 L

DiMartino, K. Mewis

Nov. 2

Paraguay

Waikato Stadium; Hamilton

3-1 W

OG, DiMartino, Verloo

Nov. 5

France

North Harbour Stadium; Auckland

1-1

DiMartino

Nov. 9

Korea Republic

Waikato Stadium; Hamilton

4-2 W

Verloo (2), DiMartino, K.Mewis

Nov. 13

Germany

QEII Park; Christchurch

2-1 W

DiMartino, Verloo

Nov. 16

Korea DPR

North Harbour Stadium; Auckland

1-2 L (OT)

Colohan

U.S. U-20 WNT ARRIVES IN CHILE, WILL FACE FRANCE WEDNESDAY: The U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team has arrived in Chillán, Chile, ahead of the 2008 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup. The U.S. U-20 Women will kick off their participation in the tournament against France at 3 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET) on Wednesday, Nov. 19, live on ESPN2. Following the France match, the U.S. will take on Argentina on Nov. 22 and China PR on Nov. 26. Fans will be able follow the U.S. matches on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.

U.S. SOCCER DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY SET TO HOST WINTER SHOWCASE IN LANCASTER, CALIF.: U.S. Soccer is one month away from hosting the second annual Development Academy Winter Showcase from Dec. 5-8 at the Lancaster National Soccer Center in Lancaster, Calif. All 148 teams representing 74 clubs, plus the U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team will participate in 240 games over the extended weekend. A new component of this year’s Academy Winter Showcase will be the Nike International Friendlies, featuring Under-17 Men’s National Teams from the U.S., Australia and Brazil. The games will be played on a reserved field at the Lancaster National Soccer Center. The Academy Winter Showcase will be the first major Development Academy event for the 12 newest clubs in the Academy that joined at the beginning of the 2008-09 Season. While the eight new clubs from Texas and the three new clubs from California have already started their seasons, it will be the first Academy games for the New England Revolution.

ACHIEVE YOUR GOLD TOUR TO CONTINUE AGAINST CHINA PR IN DECEMBER: The gold medal-winning U.S. Women’s National Team will head to The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., as it continues the Achieve Your Gold Tour to celebrate the Olympic title with a match against China on Dec. 13 at 6 p.m. PT. Tickets ranging in price levels from $18 to $60, plus special edition U.S. Soccer on-field seats for $150, are now available through ussoccer.com, by phone (213-480-3232 in L.A.; 714-740-2000 in Orange County; 619-220-8497 in San Diego), and at all Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout Southern California (including Macy’s, FYE and Ritmo Latino). Fans can also buy tickets at The Home Depot Center Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. PT to 6 p.m. PT. Groups of 20 or more can obtain an order form at ussoccer.com or by calling 312-528-1290. Following the match against China in Carson, the teams will travel to Detroit for a Dec. 17 match at 7:30 p.m. ET at Ford Field (tickets). The U.S. recently closed out a three-game series with Korea Republic as part of the Achieve Your Gold Tour with a 2-0-1 record that included two shutouts. In the first match, the U.S. WNT won 3-1, followed by a scoreless draw in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a 1-0 victory in Tampa, Fla.

Achieve Your Gold Tour Schedule / Results

Date

Opponent

Venue; City

Result / Kickoff

U.S. Goal Scorer(s)

Sept. 13

Ireland

Lincoln Financial Field; Philadelphia, Pa.

2-0 W

Kai, O'Reilly

Sept. 17

Ireland

Giants Stadium; E. Rutherford, N.J.

1-0 W

Kai

Sept. 20

Ireland

Toyota Park; Bridgeview, Ill.

2-0 W

Chalupny, Markgraf

Nov. 1

Korea Republic

Univ. of Richmond Stadium; Richmond, Va.

3-1 W

Hucles, O'Reilly, Tarpley

Nov. 5

Korea Republic

Paul Brown Stadium; Cincinnati, Ohio

0-0 T

--

Nov. 8

Korea Republic

Raymond James Stadium; Tampa, Fla.

1-0 W

O'Reilly

Dec. 13

China PR

The Home Depot Center; Carson, Calif.

6 p.m. PT

Dec. 17

China PR

Ford Field; Detroit

7:30 p.m. ET

– U.S. YOUTH NATIONAL TEAMS UPDATE –

DATES, VENUES SET FOR 2009 CONCACAF U-20 MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP: The 2009 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship will be played from March 6-15 in two venues in Trinidad & Tobago, as eight teams will compete for four places at the 2009 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Egypt. The teams will be split into two groups, with Group A based at Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago and opening play on March 6. Group B, which opens on March 7, will play first-round games at Marvin Lee Stadium in Trinidad. The United States, Canada and Mexico all received byes into the tournament. A total of six teams have already been determined, as host Trinidad & Tobago, Costa Rica and El Salvador have already qualified. The Caribbean Football Union will stage the finals of its qualifying event November 18-22 in Aruba, with the winner advancing automatically and the runner-up facing Honduras, the third-place finisher in Central American qualifying, for the final berth.

U-20 MNT HOLDS TRAINING CAMP IN MADRID, SPAIN: U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team head coach Thomas Rongen and an 18-player roster have been in Madrid, Spain since Nov. 15 for an eight-day training camp. The U.S. will play friendlies against reserve teams from Real Madrid (Nov. 19), Atletico Madrid (Nov. 20) and Rayo Vallecano (Nov. 22). The U-20 Men’s National Team is preparing for CONCACAF Under-20 World Cup qualifying, which will take place in Trinidad early in 2009.

U.S. U-20 MNT Schedule

Date

Opponent

Nov. 19

Real Madrid

Nov. 20

Atletico Madrid

Nov. 22

Rayo Vallecano

– AROUND THE SOCCER NATION –

BE OFFICIAL: Aren't sure the spouse will let you take that last-minute trip to Commerce City, Colo., for the qualifying game on Wednesday? While we'd rather see you on site cheering the MNT on, we know that's not going to be the case every game. But, we still want you to be a part of the U.S. Soccer experience so we've got the next best spot—an Official U.S. Soccer Bar. While you might not be in the stadium, you can still support the team with loads of your fellow supporters and watch the game in an atmosphere that is pretty loud and rowdy. Check the latest listings for the Official U.S. Soccer bar in your area.

COLUMBUS, NEW YORK WILL COMPETE FOR 2008 MLS CUP: The Eastern Conference Champions Columbus Crew will face off against the Western Conference Champions New York Red Bulls on Sunday, Nov. 23 for the 2008 MLS Cup. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the match will be televised live on ABC and Telefutura. Columbus earned a spot in the final with a 2-1 victory against the Chicago Fire on Thursday, Nov. 13. Two days later, New York booked their place with a 1-0 win against Real Salt Lake. Columbus finished the season with a league-best 17-7-6 record, while New York finished with a 10-11-9 record on the year. It will be the first trip to the finals for both teams.

*** CENTER CIRCLE SPOTLIGHT ***

PEAK PERFORMER: Michael Bradley opened his Bundesliga account as Borussia Monchengladach fought back for a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. Bradley started the game in midfield for 'Gladbach, who went behind early. Bayern added to their lead in the 65th minute but 'Gladbach fought back, and Rob Friend halved the deficit in the 79th minute. Just two minutes later the score was level with Bradley nodding home the equalizer from close range. The result keeps 'Gladbach in 14th place, while Bayern slip three points behind Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen.

MARQUEE MATCHUP: Wednesday, Nov. 19, will be full of U.S. Soccer action as the U.S. U-20 WNT opens the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup against France at 1 p.m. ET, live on ESPN2. Several hours later, at 6 p.m. MT to be precise, the U.S. Men’s National Team kicks off against Guatemala, live on ESPN Classic, in the last game of the Semifinal Round of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The MNT match will be re-broadcast immediately after, at 8 p.m. MT, on ESPN2. Both matches can be followed live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.

SOCCER SHOCKER: New York, New York indeed. The New York Red Bulls surprised Real Salt Lake in the 2008 Western Conference Final on Saturday, Nov. 15, holding onto a one-goal lead from the first half to win the Conference and earn a berth at the 2008 MLS Cup final. Dave van den Bergh did the honors for the Red Bulls, tallying in the 28th minute. Real Salt Lake put forth their best effort to tie the match, hitting the post four times in the process, but was unsuccessful and New York will face off against Columbus for the MLS title on Sunday, Nov. 23.

QUOTABLE: “By far, this is probably the greatest experience for any of us. Not just competition-wise, but the locals were so friendly. We had a great crowd out there today. We all love the country, the training sites were awesome and the stadiums were great. It was definitely a really amazing experience for all of us.” -- U.S. U-17 WNT midfielder Amber Brooks, on the experience of playing at the 2008 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand.